Shunya Ito
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese film director
famed for starting the Sasori (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, etc.) series of 1970s exploitation films based on Toru Shinohara
's manga
and starring Meiko Kaji. Itō worked for Toei Company
for most of his career. He won a Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Citation
for his first film, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, in 1972.
He won Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards in 1985 with his film Gray Sunset
, a story of a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease
. This thus became Japan's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
instead of Akira Kurosawa
's Ran, which caused a slight uproar in Western media as many critics thought Ran had a real chance of winning whereas Gray Sunset was not even shortlisted. (Galbraith)
His most recent films are the 1995 anime
movie in the Lupin III
series: Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, and the 1998 World War II
drama Pride: The Fateful Moment presenting a humane view of Hideki Tōjō
on trial at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
famed for starting the Sasori (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, etc.) series of 1970s exploitation films based on Toru Shinohara
Toru Shinohara
is a Japanese manga artist.He was born in Niihama, Ehime. After graduating from high school on March 1955, he started working at a factory in Osaka making car parts but quit after only ten months. He studied manga via a mail-offered course and wrote to various manga magazines...
's manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and starring Meiko Kaji. Itō worked for Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
for most of his career. He won a Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Citation
Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
The is given annually by the Directors Guild of Japan to a new director of a film released that year who is considered the most "suitable" for the award. The winner is selected by a committee formed of DGJ members. All formats—feature film, documentary, television, video, etc.—are eligible for...
for his first film, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, in 1972.
He won Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards in 1985 with his film Gray Sunset
Gray Sunset
is a 1985 Japanese film directed by Shunya Ito. It was Japan's submission to the 58th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee...
, a story of a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. This thus became Japan's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
instead of Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's Ran, which caused a slight uproar in Western media as many critics thought Ran had a real chance of winning whereas Gray Sunset was not even shortlisted. (Galbraith)
His most recent films are the 1995 anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
movie in the Lupin III
Lupin III
, also known as Lupin the 3rd, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of Monkey Punch. The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of...
series: Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, and the 1998 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
drama Pride: The Fateful Moment presenting a humane view of Hideki Tōjō
Hideki Tōjō
Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944...
on trial at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East , also known as the Tokyo Trials, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, or simply the Tribunal, was convened on April 29, 1946, to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of crimes: "Class A" crimes were reserved for those who...
.
Selected filmography
- Female Prisoner #701: ScorpionFemale Convict 701: Scorpionis a film based on a manga by Tōru Shinohara in the "Women in Prison" sub-genre of Pinky violence Pink films made by Toei Company in 1972. The first in a series, the film starred Meiko Kaji and was Shunya Itō's directorial debut.-Plot:...
(1972) (女囚７０１号 さそり) - Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972) (女囚さそり 第４１雑居房)
- Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast StableFemale Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stableis a film in the "Women in Prison" sub-genre of Pinky violence Pink films made by Toei Company in 1973.This was the third installment in the Female Convict Scorpion series, following Female Convict #701: Scorpion and Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41...
(1973) (女囚さそり けもの部屋) - Inugami no tatari (1977) (犬神の悪霊)
- To Trap a KidnapperTo Trap a Kidnapperis a 1982 Japanese film directed by Shunya Itō.-Awards:6th Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Supporting Actress - Rumiko Koyanagi* Nominated: Best Film* Nominated: Best Director - Shunya Itō* Nominated: Best Screenplay - Hirō Matsuda...
(1982) (誘拐報道) - HakujashoHakujasho-Awards:7th Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Actress - Rumiko Koyanagi...
(1983) (白蛇抄) - Gray SunsetGray Sunsetis a 1985 Japanese film directed by Shunya Ito. It was Japan's submission to the 58th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee...
(1985) (花いちもんめ) - Labyrinth of Flower Garden (1988) (花園の迷宮)
- Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus (1995) (ルパン三世 くたばれ！ノストラダムス)
- Pride: The Fateful Moment (1998) (プライド 運命の瞬間)